The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Shadab Khan
Point and shoot
A schoolgirl tries her hand at a rifle during an exhibition as part of Navy Week celebrations at the Naval Dockyard in Ballard Estate.
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Kawa kawa in Doha
Lillete Dubey, Tillotama Shome and Mira Nair catching up for the premiere. Pics Courtesy/@masiasare, @pagliji on Instagram
With the big fat Indian wedding at its centre, Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding (2001) and its world of Lalit, Pimmi, Ria, Aditi, Alice and Parbatlal welcomed us to re-examine the dynamics of the desi household. Two decades later, the drama has found a new medium — the stage. Directed by Nair, Monsoon Wedding: The New Musical premiered amid the FIFA World Cup festivities in Doha recently. In the audience were the OG Pimmi and Alice — Lillete Dubey and Tillotama Shome. Still reeling from the whirlwind tour that included catching the Argentina-Saudi Arabia match, the actor shared that the musical had a gala premiere. “It was great fun. Mira and I go way back to our college days. Although I’ve seen the movie only once, in the first 10 minutes of the musical, it was very much in my head. But soon, I eased into it and started enjoying it. It was a different avatar of the story. I like that the actors didn’t try to replicate the film. A lot of the story was being sung, and the choreography was great,” Dubey revealed, adding that Nair hopes to bring the production to India, too. We’ll be waiting.
The musical in Doha
What’s stewing in Chembur?
(From left) Founders M Tanaraj, Gim George and Justin George
The South Indian bastion of Chembur is set to get an addition to its culinary landscape at Diamond Garden that comes with the promise of endless sadhyas and Kerala-inspired tipples. Kerala Cafe, which has a popular following in Pune, Vasai and Thane, is setting up its first outpost in the eastern suburb with a 90-seater space. Co-founder Justin George shared that the idea is to spread the love for the state’s culture and cuisine. “The menu and ambience ensures a good time with the family. At the Chembur outpost, we’ll have a bar with cocktails inspired by homegrown favourites like a filter coffee drink and a kozhukatta-influenced drink. The food will continue to be the highlight with new dishes like kolli kozhi (Kerala-style lollipop), Payyoli chicken fry, appam and stew, among others,” he told us. The space will open its doors on December 4, and if you happen to turn up in a set saree or mundu, there’ll be a free biryani waiting for you in the first few days.
Trouble in Pandora’s box
Since it opened earlier this year, Club Pandora in Khar has been living up to its promise of curating a space for new, alternative music and nightlife. This diarist has now learnt that they have had to down the shutters. Co-founder Monish Rohra shared that they are already in the process of finding a new space in Bandra-Santacruz-Khar area. “There was a fallout at the current location with the landlord. But we’re not worried about recreating the same format at another space as it was much loved. The support has been phenomenal. We hope to open by February next year,” he added.
Heroes are made of this
A still from the film
At 96, Karthyayani Amma in Allapuzha district, Kerala, chose to return to school for the first time, and scored 98 out of 100, topping the state’s literacy examination. In 2019, Amma who used to sweep streets outside temples, became a Commonwealth of Learning Goodwill Ambassador. And yet, after chef and filmmaker Vikas Khanna chose to tell her awe-inspiring story in the documentary short Barefoot Empress and an eponymous children’s book that released recently, he has had to field the question: “But who is the hero?” “It’s been a war for me to explain that heroes are not defined by their appearance. Show me a hero better than a nearly 100-year-old woman liv-ing her life without caring for society’s norms. She redefines courage,” he said.
Vikas Khanna. Pics Courtesy/IMDB, Getty Images
It’s all Latino
Cornel and Rithika at the Kyiv Dance Fest
Social dancing has a cult following in the city. Catering to these pockets, and aiming to make this dance form more accessible, The Latin Notion Weekender is all set for its Mumbai chapter in February 2023. Harshit Jain, founder, Latin Notion, shared, “The festival is designed to spread the knowledge of and celebrate Bachata, Kizomba and their sub genres. While these dance forms are not native to India, there is much joy to be shared through learning and growing in these styles, by bringing on board the best of national and international teachers.” This includes workshops, boot camps, dancing sessions and performances by artistes such as Enah and Pocahontas (Portugal and Spain), Bachata Sensual instructors Igor and Rocio (Spain), Cornel and Rithika (Mumbai), Kizomba expert Megha Khatri, (Pune), and others.
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